Evaluation of the perspective of anesthesia research assistants on the use of ultrasonography in regional anesthesia

Abstract

Background & Objective: In the recent years, the use of clinical ultrasonography (USG) has become very popular among the anesthesiologists. USG guidance plays an important role in the practice of anesthesia to help patient evaluation, improving patient safety and the effectiveness of the procedure. USG guidance in anesthesia has been shown to reduce the complication rate and the frequency of unsuccessful procedures. Although there is a significant amount of data regarding the advantages of using USG in regional anesthesia (RA), there is limited data available on anesthesia assistants’ perspectives on USG. The purpose of this study was to assess the USG usage in RA in the perspective of anesthesia research assistants.

Methodology: After approval by the institutional ethics committee, a questionnaire form was sent to one hundred and eighty-four anesthesia assistants via e-mail. The attitudes of anesthesia research assistants towards USG were evaluated using a 5-point Likert scale. Only anesthesiology and reanimation department assistants were included in the study.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 28.9 ± 2.1 y (25-35 y). Most (54.9%) of the participants were female and 45.1% were male. Respective units of all participants had an USG device, but only 39% of the participants had access to an USG device specific to RA; 98.4% of the participants used USG in RA (97.8% for peripheral nerve blocks, 28.8% for neuraxial anesthesia). While most participants (99.5%) thought that the use of USG for peripheral nerve blocks was advantageous, fewer participants (54.9%) thought that it was advantageous for neuraxial anesthesia. Only 38.6% of the participants reported that their training was sufficient for USG usage. Approximately half (48.9%) of the resident physicians needed an USG course. There were differences among the hospitals in terms of USG device. USG device specific to RA was more common in city hospitals (50.9%) and university hospitals (40.3%) compared to training and research hospitals (25%).

Conclusion: Anesthesia research assistants frequently prefer USG in regional anesthesia. With the removal of barriers to the use of USG, the rate of USG utilization and the success of procedures in regional anesthesia applications can be further increased.

Abbreviations: RA - regional anesthesia; TARD - Turkish Society of Anesthesiology and Reanimation; USG – ultrasonography

Keywords: Anesthesia research assistants; Attitude; Regional anesthesia; Ultrasonography

Citation: Atasever D, Aydin EU, Akelma FK, Gulec H, But A. Evaluation of the perspective of anesthesia research assistants on the use of ultrasonography in regional anesthesia. Anaesth. pain intensive care 2024;28(2):272−277; DOI: 10.35975/apic.v28i2.2430

Received: October 25, 2023; Reviewed: November 01, 2023; Accepted: December 13, 2023